Method and apparatus for controlling material feed and air venting in briquetting machines



y 1953 G. KOMAREK ET AL 2,343,879

' METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING MATERIAL FEED AND AIR VENTING IN BRIQUETTING MACHINES Fild Feb. 8, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS G'usiar Kama 2'21 Earl 12 fiamareif ATTORNEYS July 22, 1958 G. KOMAREK ET AL 2,843,879

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING MATERIAL FEED AND AIR VENTING IN BRIQUETTING MACHINES Filed Feb. 8, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG.3.

Gustav )Yomirejt Karl flflomarel ATTORNEYS METHOD AND APPARATUS EUR CUNTRULLWG MATERIAL FEED AND Alli VENTING IN BRI- QUETTING MACHINES Gustav Kornarek and Karl R. Kornarelt, Qhicago, llh, assignors to Komarek-Greaves and tCompany, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of lllinois Application February 8, 1954, Serial No. M83552 Claims. (Cl. ltd-21) This invention relates generally to an improved method and apparatus for forming fluent material into pellets and briquets and, more particularly, to briquetting presses having an improved feed control and air vent and adaptable for operating upon a large variety of materials possessing diverse physical characteristics, such as fuel, e. g., coal, finely divided chemical compounds, and fibers. Among the materials which can be briquetted by using the apparatus of the present invention are cellulosic fibers, salt, alloys, precious metal ores, lime, copper sulfate, abrasives, titanium, sodium cyanide, etc.

Known devices, such as disclosed in the Jones Patent No. 1,900,347, dated March 7, 1933, usually consist of cooperating press rolls journalled for rotation and surmounted by a hopper discharging material between the rolls. A crude form of feed control has been utilized assuming the form of a slidable gate at the lower end of the hopper for controlling the flow of material into a space above the bight or nip of the rolls. Prior art briquetting machines have been constructed for use in briquetting specific materials and were not adaptable for operating upon materials having a wide range of physical characteristics. In the construction of prior art machines, the crude feedcontrol devices were not effective to accurately control the flow of material into the nip of the press rolls and, furthermore, failed to provide adequate means to prevent the trapping of air in the briquets or pellets produced.

Certain physical properties and characteristics of materials to be formed into briquets or pellets require a very accurate feed control of the material into the cups of the press rolls or briquetting machines. The specific gravity, fineness, particle shape, moisture content and percentage of entrapped air control the free flowing properties of the materials, their tendency to adhere to metallic surfaces, the ability of the materials to slide along metallic surfaces and the cohesive nature of the materials in bulk form. In working with finely divided materials, an accurate control of the flow of material into the briquetting zone of the press is materially different from an accurate control of large particles of material, such as may be found in the fuel briquetting operations. Additionally, in the absence of proper dc-aerating means, such as a passage for the escape of air contained in the material and expelled by the compression of the material into briquets, the air within the quantity of mate rial being compressed will be forced upwardly through the material. This forms a weak zone or line of cleavage, within the briquet and in severe cases results in the formation of two halves of a briquet, such halves being created by the cutting action of the air forcing itself upwardly through the partly compressed material. Even in instances where the entrapped air remains in the briquet, subsequent jarring or rough treatment of the briquet results in the splitting of the same into two halves.

With the above problem of briquetting and prior meth ods and apparatus in mind, it is, therefore, an object of 2,843,8'i9 Patented July 22, i958 ice our invention to provide an improved method and apparatus for effectively briquetting a large variety of particular materials possessing diverse physical characteristics.

Another object of our invention is to provide a method of controlling the feed of material into the briquetting zone of presses by means adjustable relative to the specific physical characteristics of the material.

Another object of our invention is to provide a feed control for presses of the type herein described, consisting of a polished angular plate or gate adjustably movable into and out of the nip of the press rolls and providing an air passage for the escape of air liberated by the compression of the material.

A still further object of our invention is to provide a feed control and air vent for briquetting apparatus whereby uniform briquets may be formed of various materials having diverse physical characteristics.

With the above and other objects of our invention in mind, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, illustrating a preferred embodiment of our invention and, in which- Figure l is a cross-sectional view in elevation of the briquetting machine of the present invention illustrating our improved feed control;

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view along the line 2-2 of Figure 1 also illustrating the improved feed control.

Figure 3 is an elevati-onal view in the direction of the arrow A of Figure 1, illustrating the adjusting device associated with our improved feed control, and

Figure 4 is a perspective view illustrating component parts of the adjusting device for the feed control and the manner of their assembly.

With reference to Figure 1 of the drawing, the improved feed control and air escape passage of our invention is illustrated as assoioated with a briquetting machine having a pair of cooperating press or compression rolls ill and i2 enclosed and journalled for rotation with a casing 14. A material feeder housing 16 is carried and secured to the casing l4 surmounting the rolls lit and 12 and arranged to discharge material through an opening 18 between the rolls. The housing to is provided with a flange 20 at its open upper end whereby the machine may be connected to a hopper or other means, not shown, for the delivery of material to be briquetted. Material briquetted by the machine may be discharged through an opening 21 and handled in any conventional manner and as such does not form a part of the present invention and, therefore, means for handling the discharged pellets and briquets has not been shown. The rolls to and 12 are rotated with the aid of driving mechanism ll and 13.

The basic briquetting machine is of conventional construction and the primary features of the invention relate to the improved feed control and the air escape passage associated therewith. The improved feed control includes a plate or gate 22 forming a movable wall in the lower portion of the feeder housing lo and extends into the nip of the press rolls ltl and 12. The plate 22 is angularly disposed with respect to the path .of the material passing through the briquetting machine and is received within guides 23 (Figure 4) along its lateral edges to permit its movement into and out of the nip of the rolls. The gate 22 controls the feed to the press rolls and, therefore, cannot be of greater dimension than the face width of the rolls. Preferably, it is slightly, e. g. A, shorter at each end than the length or face width of rolls 10 and 12.

Plate 22 is adjustably positioned and moved within the guides by a hand wheel type feed device generally designated by the numeral 24 including an internally threaded hand wheel 26 journalled for rotation within a recess 28 of the plate, as shown in more detail in Figure 4. In very large equipment, for example, the hand wheel 26 may be replaced by a round nut, as the hand wheel is inadequate for the heavy load. The round nut may have four holes on its outer diameter into which a 1" diameter bar is inserted to turn the nut. It will be noted with reference to this Figure 4 that the hand wheel comprises a spoollike portion 30 having flange members 32 and 34. This spool, which is internally threaded, is received within the lugs 36 and 38 and held in operative position by a transverse pin 40. The hand wheel 26 imparts movement to the plate 22 relative to the feeder housing 16 as it travels along a stationary threaded stud 42 carried by a substantially U-shaped bracket 44 having downwardly extending arms 46 and 48 secured by their foot portion to the housing 16 and casing 14 by conventional fasteners.

It will be noted that the stationary and threaded stud 42 is received within a recess 54 and secured therein by means of a locking nut 56.

The feed control plate 22 is provided with a very smooth or polished surface along which material to be briquetted flows in its passage to the compression zone of the briquetting machine. A beveled lower portion 58 of the plate 22 extends during the operation of the machine into the zone immediately adjacent the material undergoing compression.

With reference to the drawing, particularly Figure 1, the plate 22 is shown disposed substantially tangentially to the roll 10, but spaced a slight distance therefrom, providing a passage 60 for the escape of air liberated from the material undergoing compression between the rolls and 12. It will also be noted that the plate 22, under the influence of the feed device 24, may be moved toward and from the peripheral portion of the roll 12. However, at all times, the plate 22 will remain spaced from the roll 10 and substantially tangentially therewith.

Certain materials to be briquetted require specific angular positioning of the plate 22 with respect the the path of the material passing through the press or briquetting machine. We have found that the angle B, shown in Figure 1, should be varied in accordance with certain physical properties and characteristics of materials to be briquetted and bears a relationship proportional to the specific gravity, fineness, particle shape, moisture content and percentage of air trapped in the material. These characteristics and properties of material control the free flowing properties of the materials, their tendency to adhere to metallic surfaces, the ability of the materials to slide along metallic surfaces and the cohesive nature of materials in bulk form. The most accurate control of the flow of material into the briquetting zone of the press, therefore, is determined not only by the relationship of the end 58 of the plate 22 with respect to the roll 12 but, in addition, by the angular position of the plate 22 with respect to the path of the material through the machine.

Pulverized or fluent material to be briquetted frequently contains air, for example in a proportion of one cubic foot of air for two cubic feet of material. As this air cannot be forced upwardly through the mass of material in the feeder housing and hopper, such air in the past has been trapped within the briquets or pellets formed by the machine. Briquets and pellets containing air are subject to cracking and splitting as they are formed and whenever such pellets are subjected to rough treatment, including vibration and jarring, portions of the entrapped air have, in the past, worked upwardly through the material undergoing compression, leaving a line of cleavage which also has contributed to the splitting and breaking of the pellets.

The air escape passage associated with our improved feed control substantially eliminates the possibility of air being trapped in the pellets produced. Reference to Figure 1 and the relation of the lower end 58 of the plate 22 to the zone of compression between the rolls 10 and 12 will illustrate the accurate control of the flow of material into the cups of the rolls and the passage for the air liberated during compression of the material.

The angular relation of the plate 22 to the path of material passing through the machine (angle B) is usually within the range of 30 to The polished surface of the plate 22 provides an inclined plane along which the material slides into the zone of compression between the rolls 10 and 12. Therefore, to obtain an accurate continuous flow of material into the press, the angular position of the plate may be varied, depending upon the characteristics and properties of the material handled.

It will thus be seen that there has been provided by this invention a structure in which the various objects hereinbefore set forth, together with many practical advantages, are successfully achieved. As various possible embodiments may be made of the individual features of the above invention, all without departing from the scope thereof, it is to be understood that all matter hereinbefore set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

We claim:

1. An apparatus of the class described, comprising a pair of cooperating press rolls journalled for rotation, brique'tting cups carried by said press rolls, a feeder housing surmounting said rolls for discharging material between the same and feed control means comprising an angularly disposed plate within the feeder housing extending into the nip of the rolls, said plate having an uninterrupted surface for guiding and flowing material into the nip of the press rolls, said plate defining with the surface of an adjacent roll an air passage extending outwardly from the nip of the press rolls and through an opening in the housing.

2. In an apparatus of the class described, including a pair of press rolls, briquetting cups carried by said rolls and a feeder housing for delivering fluent material to the rolls, the combination of feed control means comprising an angularly disposed plate within the housing extending into the nip of the rolls and inclined relative to the path of the material through the rolls at an angle within the range of 30 to 40, said feed control means defining with the surface of an adjacent roll an air escape passage extending outwardly from the nip of the compression rolls.

3. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the angularly disposed plate is substantially tangential to one of said rolls and adjustably movable into and out of a position adjacent the second roll and the plate is spaced from said first roll to define the passage for the escape of air liberated from material undergoing compression within the nip of the rolls.

4. An apparatus of the class described, comprising a pair of cooperating compression rolls journalled for rotation, a feeder housing surmounting said rolls for discharging material between the same, feed control means comprising an angularly disposed plate within the feeder housing extending into the nip of the rolls, said plate being substantially tangential to one of said rolls and adjustably movable into and out of a position adjacent the second roll and the plate is spaced from said first roll to define a passage for escape of air liberated from material undergoing compression within the nip of the rolls and means for adjustably moving the plate into and out of the nip of the rolls comprising a spool journalled for rotation within a portion of said plate and a threaded rod receiving the spool.

5. In an apparatus of the class described,.including a pair of press rolls, briquetting cups carried by said rolls and a feeder housing for delivering fluent material to the rolls, the combination of means for guiding and 5 6 feeding pulverulent material into the nip of the press References Cited in the file of this patent rolls and into the briquetting cups carried thereby, said UNITED STATES PATENTS means comprising a plate one surface of which defines with said housing a wall over which the material travels 2208905 Kremmhng et July to the press rolls, and the opposite surface of said plate 5 2675304 Komarek 1956 forming with an adjacent roll an air escape passage ex- 2758336 Franssen tending outwardly from the nip of the press rolls and FOREIGN PATENTS through Said musing 616,775 Germany Aug. 5, 1935 

